1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for processing data in accordance with a workflow defined in advance, a workflow generation method, and a program and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus which can prevent interruption of entire print processing due to a failure even when a failure or the like has occurred during the processing, a workflow generation method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the commercial print industry, print processing using large-scale printing apparatuses such as offset reproduction printing presses and the like has prevailed. In the print industry, the works progress while going through various processes such as document reception, design and layout, comprehensive layout (presentation by means of a printer output), correction of the press (layout correction and color correction), proof impression (proof print), creation of layout paper, printing, finishing processing, and delivery.
On the other hand, recently, electrophotographic printing apparatuses and ink-jet printing apparatuses have been speeded up and have gained high image quality. Along with such technical trend, a market called Print On Demand (to be abbreviated as POD hereinafter) that handles jobs of relatively small lots by quick delivery without using any huge apparatuses or systems is known.
The POD market adopts digital print using digital data in place of the conventional large-scale printing press or printing system. For example, the POD market uses a digital image processing apparatus such as a digital copying machine, digital multi-functional peripheral equipment (MFP), and the like. In such POD market, digitization has progressed compared to the conventional print industry, and management and control using computers have become widespread.
For example, the POD market generates a schedule to complete processing before due date. Furthermore, the POD market generates a POD workflow by combining a plurality of processes and executes print processing using a job ticket so as to efficiently go through the procedure. The job ticket is digital data which instructs print work processes. A print shop which undertakes POD can execute print processing, as described in the job ticket, and such technique is indispensable upon automating print processing.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-164570 discloses a method of progressing workflow processing using a job ticket. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-164570 describes a technique for generating a job ticket corresponding to the generated workflow, and executing required processing according to the job ticket issued from a workflow generation apparatus.
As a finisher which executes finishing processing of printed materials, a near-line finisher, which is connected to a printing apparatus and a computer as a control apparatus of the printing apparatus via a communication is commercially available. The near-line finisher has excellent expandability and substitutability of functions since it is an apparatus independent from the printing apparatus. The near-line finisher contributes to automation of processing since it receives a digital job ticket via a communication and can execute processing described in that job ticket.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-195470 describes a technique for generating a workflow that assumes errors upon progressing the processing of the workflow. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-195470 describes a technique for generating work processing, upon occurrence of an abnormality when consistency restriction rules are broken, based on the consistency restriction rules generated to obtain a designated output result.
Since the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-195470 defines the processing upon occurrence of an error (to be referred to abnormality work processing hereinafter) in advance, dynamic abnormality processing cannot be done in accordance with the occurrence timing of an error. For example, a case will be examined wherein in a workflow for binding printed materials for 10 pages to generate two copies of books, an error has occurred during printing the fifth page of the second book. In this case, the print processing for 10 pages of the first book is complete. For this reason, the first book may advance to the next process, e.g., the bookbinding process. In this way, by advancing data or intermediate products, which can advance to the next process, to the next process as much as possible, the workflow processing can be efficiently done. However, the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-195470 cannot generate a workflow by judging the processing status at the time of occurrence of an error, since the processing upon occurrence of an error is registered in advance.
Even when the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-164570 is used, since it defines abnormality work processing in advance, the abnormality work processing cannot be executed if an error has occurred at an undefined timing. If the abnormality work processing is defined to cope with errors that may occur at every timings, the data volume for definition becomes huge.
As described above, since the prior arts cannot change the appropriate processing contents or processing target depending on the processing status of the workflow, they cannot efficiently progress the workflow processing based on the processing status.